Enjoy smaller things in life

Two weeks ago, I went to Walgreens and bought laundry detergent. When I returned to my off-campus house and started putting my clothes into the washer, I had never been more excited to do laundry in my life.

Why?

How about another time when I was up at 3 a.m. typing a story for my historical fiction class, and I became excited after typing a full sentence?

These are not just things that excite me. Everything and anything gets me excited. Even something as small as putting up a curtain or making toast without burning it.

It’s the little things in life that I don’t just enjoy, but appreciate.

My life has been rough, and so have others’. I have lived 22 years in poverty with my fatherless family, have been called a spic, failed multiple classes and so much more that there is no point for me to complain.

I know people have it worse than I do. Some don’t have homes or electricity in their houses while others don’t have much at all.

An online poll by Harris Interactive Poll, a marketing research firm that covers a variety of topics, surveyed 2,345 U.S. adults in May 2013 to determine how happy Americans are. Only 33 percent are very happy.

This involves a variety of factors including a tough job market, economy and income.

I don’t know what makes the little things so special to me. Maybe it’s because I didn’t receive a lot, so I learned to appreciate them more. Or maybe it has to do with my mom, who kept saying to me that we should be thankful we even have a roof over our heads. Or maybe it’s just the way I am.

People get excited for a variety of things. I get excited for the most random things.

Some people get excited when the holidays come around and they finally receive that video game console they have long awaited for along with other gifts. I just get excited when I receive a holiday card.

Others become happy when they have a huge dinner with their family. I get excited when I buy milk.

Some people get excited when they see their favorite sports team win a championship. I get excited when I see my friends.

A lot of things make me happy, whether it be a college degree, getting the photo I want, playing baseball or seeing others become successful.

You can probably say that almost anything positive gets me excited.

But what really makes me happy is getting a pen to write notes, putting on my glasses to see, printing out photos and even getting sticky notes that say “Alex is awesome.”

These little things, along with everything else, makes me happy.

And I couldn’t ask for anything more. I can’t because I get excited for everything.